


Solving Puzzles and Saving the Day

by evelitan



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, Giselle - Freeform, Happy Ending, Some intimate moments, and Artie, and nate, mermaid artefact, minor mentions of Wolly, nothign explicit, season 5 doesn't exist, slight angst as places, some light swearign, various water creatures appearances and mentions, very very minor mentions of Pete/Myka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:29:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29863650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelitan/pseuds/evelitan
Summary: It's been a year since Myka last saw Helena. After they parted ways in Boone, Myka went on a couple of dates with Pete but she ended it fairly quickly. Now, an artifact is acting up in Kiltyre, Scotland, and Myka is sent on a solo mission to retrieve it. She has to collaborate with a Warehouse asset there but when it turns out that asset is actually Helena, things get interesting.What would happen if saving the world depended on two women who left so many things unsaid between them the last time they saw each other?  Well, we're about to find out...
Relationships: Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Solving Puzzles and Saving the Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!   
> Everything up to the end of season 4 follows canon except Leena lives and then season 5 doesn't exist (except for the mention of Giselle).
> 
> Abi is a character I liked too so she's around. I didn't want to use any specific locations but I believe Kiltyre actually exists so just to be clear, this is pure coincidence.   
> I'm sorry for all typos that there might be, I tried cleaning them up but a few might have escaped my sight.
> 
> All kudos and comments are greatly appreciated and looked forward to!

Solving Puzzles and Saving the Day

**_Present moment_ **

_“Helena!” – Myka yelled as she felt a sudden sharp push from the other side of the door._

_“I’m almost done!” – Helena said as her hands trembled around the edges of the box._

_Another hit echoed on the wood and Myka tried to push harder against it, water began creeping under the small opening beneath the door._

_“Helena, I can’t hold them off much longer!” – Myka yelled again and amidst all the chaos a soft click echoed in the room..._

**_2 weeks ago_ **

“Dude! Can you please try to stop dying? I’m embarrassed for you.” – Claudia almost yelled. Things got heated when they played, Claudia, Pete, and Steve were sitting on the couch and while the first two jumped up and down and made faces at the screen, Steve was still trying to figure out the right way to hold the controller. It had been easier when these stuff had cables, that way at least you knew which way to hold it.

“Hey, there are too many zombies in this game!” – Steve tried to argue but he saw the man on the screen that was supposed to be his character getting ambushed by a group of zombies and soon his avatar faded away from the screen.

“You know what, I’m going to make some tea.” – Steve said but neither of the other two occupants of the couch paid much attention.

Just as he stepped into the hallway, he saw the front door open and a panting Myka come in, she had gotten back into her habit of going for a run on the weekends when they were free. She had her hair in a messy ponytail and pulled off the headphones she was wearing as she walked through the door.

“How was the run?” – Steve asked her with a friendly smile.

“Great, I saw a couple of squirrels by the lake this morning.” – Myka replied with the same smile and closed the door of the B&B. A barely visible coat of sweat covered her neck and her cheeks were adorably flushed but the wide smile on her face eclipsed everything else.

“It smells amazing in here.” – Myka said as she moved with Steve to the kitchen.

“Leena showed me how to do apple–cardamom cakes, this woman is a culinary genius!” - Abigail said as she poured freshly made coffee for herself and Myka, and moved to hand it to her.

“I like cooking and people seem to like my cooking too.” – Leena said, trying to sound nonchalant. Abigail had joined the Warehouse team a little over two months ago per Mrs. Fredrik’s “recommendation” of course and she seemed to love spending time with Leena. Whenever they weren’t working, she’d go find the owner of the B&B and they’d do something together.

After the catastrophic disaster, in Claudia’s humble opinion a pure train wreck, in which resulted the idea of Pete and Myka going on a couple of dates and trying to carry a relationship that surpassed the limits of the professional and the friendly, their dynamic was… off-center for a while. Pete ended up falling for her but it was painfully obvious for everyone around that for Myka it wasn’t remotely as exciting as this new relationship was for him, even three months after they had started dating, she felt weird kissing her best friend.

Their ending was rather explosive and bitter, to the point where the two agents decided to stay away from each other’s way for a while, going as far as refusing to go on missions together. That’s when Abigail appeared and joined their team because they were the most capable agents the Warehouse had in many years and the process of training not one but two new agents was rather terrifying for Steve and Claudia. Abi was a highly trained psychologist that began counseling both Myka and Pete, her sessions paired with some time and patience (lots of patience) proved useful in regaining the work equilibrium. Or well the bigger part of it anyways, Myka still preferred not to be left alone with Pete because sometimes he still had that kicked puppy look in his eyes even if he wouldn’t say anything about it. Sometimes, Myka wished Helena’s time machine still functioned so she could stop herself from accepting Pete’s date invitation, she wished Helena was still around even more but that’s not important now.

“A little too much if you ask me, I still remember Pete gaining two pounds our first month on the job.” – Myka laughed, remembering simpler times that seemed almost like a lifetime ago.

“Even Artie noticed that one.” – Claudia said as she walked into the kitchen, taking a freshly baked, just out of the oven, apple–cardamom cake.

“Hey! I didn’t want to let all of Leena’s hard work go to waste.” – Pete himself appeared next and made everyone laugh.

The smell of apples filled the air out of nowhere and Myka’s mind drifted again, the noise around her faded into nothing and Myka’s heart began beating faster, just like it did when Helena was about to walk into the kitchen as if she was about to come in through the door any second now. People usually say “Out of sight, out of mind” but this didn’t seem to be the case for Myka, quite the opposite in fact. It had been around a year since she last saw Helena in Boone, a year since she last talked to her, and a year since she said the biggest lie of her life “We’ll keep in touch.”

Myka’s mind snapped out of her stupor and she quickly looked around, Leena and Abigail were talking to Pete, Claudia, and Steve but there was no Helena around… Myka shook her head and finished her coffee in one go.

“Right, well if you’ll excuse me, I need a shower.” – She said with a small smile and sprinted up the stairs.

Myka got quickly what she needed from her room and closed the bathroom door, the hot water felt good on her skin, she closed her eyes for a moment and rested her hands on the wall to support herself, letting the droplets of water fall around her face. Ever since her little cancer scare, the Regents had tried to give them most weekends off unless it was a super important mission and Myka was grateful for that but she didn’t know what to do with so much free time now. She didn’t like playing video games, her few attempts at helping Leena in the kitchen ended up with the smoke detectors going off and the tomatoes she tried to cultivate in the garden didn’t give any actual tomatoes so she just spent most of her time reading in her room.

She got dressed in the clean set of clothes she had taken with her that for the weekend were just some jumpsuit bottoms and an old hoodie from Western Colorado University. Myka entered her room and moved to put her towel on one of the hangers to dry.

“Ahem.” – Someone cleared their throat behind her and Myka jumped surprised.

“Mrs. Fredrick!” – The agent said quickly and stood taller, even after all these years she still felt the same need to look as professional as she can when the woman was around. Granted sweat pants combined with an old Uni hoodie, a pair of glasses and damp hair wasn’t her most professional look but it was 12 o’clock on a Saturday.

“Myka.” – The older woman nodded in greeting.

“What can I do for you?” – Myka asked intrigued if Mrs. Fredrick was here, she knew it wasn’t just for a social visit.

“There is a mission that is of vital importance, Myka but due to the… sensitive… nature of it, I cannot tell you more until I know you accept it and before you do that you should know that agent Lattimer won’t be joining you on it, neither would Claudia or Steven since they are still recovering from retrieving the first Stradivarius and Arthur is… not going to be of a lot of help.” – Mrs. Fredrick said not bothering to beat around the bush and judging by the solemn ton of voice and hard face, it wasn’t going to be an easy one.

“I’ll take the mission.” – The words left Myka’s mouth before she even thought twice about it, she loved the people downstairs but it was starting to feel like the B&B was getting too small for all of them and going back home to Colorado didn’t sound more appealing either.

Mrs. Fredrick nodded pleased with her head and handed her a yellow folder as she started speaking again.

“It has come to our attention that there has been some strange activity in Kiltyre, reports of mermaid sightings and strange alluring melodies coming from the sea have been circulating around. The Regents sent an asset to check on it but they can’t handle it on their own so we need to send some help.” – Mrs. Fredrick spoke as she saw Myka’s eyes widen in curiosity, this job never got boring.

“There has been an unusually high count of people disappearing lately too since the rumors started three fishermen and one student, all from the town have gone missing. Adding to that the weather anomalies that seem to be spreading around, we think it might be an artifact related but we don’t know anything specific yet.” – The older woman said and let Myka ask the questions that were crowding her mind.

“Our asset will contact you once you get settled in the hotel. Your plane leaves tomorrow at 8 pm, pack warm, it’s cold in Scotland. You can only reach out to Claudia for support, the rest of the team are not briefed on this mission, not even Artie knows about it for reasons that will become evident on a later date.” – Myka nodded and Mrs. Fredrick said and turned to leave toward the door but she stopped in her steps and gave Myka one last look. “A word to the wise Myka, when in doubt, go with your heart on this one.”

Well, this wasn’t ominous at all… when Myka turned to look at her, there was no one in the room. Myka was alone, standing there, fidgeting with her hands.

Scotland, it was much closer to England than South Dakota so maybe she’d run into Helena, for a moment Myka smiled at the idea but then remembered when Claudia told them excitedly “Guys, I won the bet! H.G has a girlfriend! Some chick named Giselle, I bet she’s Brazilian. She sounded Brazilian.” after she had talked with Helena on the phone once.

The moment Myka stepped through the doors of her hotel room, she went directly to the bed and plopped on it, not caring to unpack her suitcase, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all during the flight and the jetlag was kicking in. Fortunately for her, she had the whole night ahead to get some sleep and wake up bright and early tomorrow to speak with the families of the disappeared.

Myka first went to the library to gather some more information from the town archives, the local newspaper seemed to have done an excellent job, every disappearance seemed to be documented up to the most recent one from a few weeks ago. There was a picture in the last case file of the willow tree that grew on the cliffs, apparently, that was the last place the disappeared boy had been seen. Myka could see a lighthouse near the tree, perhaps the people living there saw something so, logically, that was her next stop. The lighthouse wasn’t that far from Kiltyre, just a little over a mile in fact.

Myka wanted to talk with the lighthouse keeper because after all, who better than the lighthouse keeper to tell her if they had seen anything out of the ordinary or if any of the legends surrounding this place were true and something other than the occasional seal would come out of the ocean. Granted this village was technically bordering with the Nord Sea and not with the Atlantic Ocean itself but it wasn’t like there was a wall separating these two so if something was affecting the ocean it wasn’t so farfetched to assume that it would start affecting the coastal villages near it as well.

Some fifteen(ish) minutes later, Myka found herself knocking loudly on the door of the lighthouse. The structure itself was wider and taller than the average ones she had seen on her numerous travels as a warehouse agent, the tower was five stories high. Myka noticed that the cupola also had one big strip of red filter that was so it could shine a fixed beamed of light to a certain point in the ocean, it served to warn ships of the big underwater rocks near the shore, a way of making the vessels aware of the danger. Another uncommon element of the lighthouse was the presence of numerous windows, four per floor to be exact. And unlike the usual lighthouses, this one didn’t have a big house built next to it, in fact, the small shed attached to its side seemed barely big enough to contain all the spare mechanical parts, Fresnel lenses, and tools in case something needed to be fixed. The lighthouse itself had been the home of its keeper’s family and it seemed to have been recently repainted, obviously, the light system was far from the paraffin gas lamps that some old adventure movies loved to show as well, its impeccable white walls still untarnished by the salty air or the droppings of the patrolling seagulls. The village itself was almost a mile down the road, lower in the valley, far enough to inconvenience you to run to the store if you forgot to buy bread but not far enough to keep away the nosey newcomers like Myka Bering.

She ran the bell but still couldn’t hear any movement from the inside, she guessed there would be someone there since the light in the cupola was shining so she pressed the bell… after two more attempts still nobody answered the door and she decided she’d just try her luck tomorrow since it was beginning to get dark already and she still had a good distance to walk back to her hotel.

The following morning, the sun rose in the sky and Myka found herself heading toward the lighthouse again without any luck in getting someone to answer her ringing the bell. She was starting to get frustrated and thought of waiting for the person in charge of the lighthouse to come back but she had to meet the mother of the last missing boy at the local restaurant. The mother of the last victim owned the place and worked there, he was a first-year university student that had been home for the holidays.

“Francis wasn’t a very bright kid but Lorna, the old lady that lived in the lighthouse down the cliffs took him under her wing and tutored him outside of school, he graduated high school with honors. He was so excited to see her as he got back for the holidays, she was such a nice old lady, we all thought of her as if she was our own grandmother. Francis was so eager to tell her all about his freshmen experiences that when we told him of her passing, he went out for a walk. He loved going to the cliffs to clear his head. I knew I shouldn’t have let him go that late at night but I didn’t believe in all this legend nonsense.” – Alice, the boy’s mother sobbed on the coffee table as she recalled the last time she saw her son.

“I’m sorry to be bringing this up again, it must be very hard for you but do you know if Lorna’s children still manage the lighthouse? I’ve tried talking with the lighthouse keeper but they’re never there when I stop by.”

“Oh, Lorna didn’t have any children. She was a young widow and to be honest I didn’t think she had any other family.”

“Then who is taking care of the lighthouse?” – Myka asked, she knew she’d seen the light shine at night.

“Turned out she had a niece, she actually came just a couple of weeks before you did and she’s the one that’s taking care of the lighthouse.” – Alice said, regaining some of her composure.

“Right. Thank you for your time.” – Myka knew she had to find a way to talk with that lighthouse keeper but so far the woman seemed more evasive than a fox, there was something strange going on there.

Turned out that being an American in the Scottish countryside was like being the only girl on the fencing team, people noticed you, a lot and from the five families she had tried to question so far, only two had agreed begrudgingly to talk with her. Kiltyre was a small town, it made Univille seem like Las Vegas compared to it.

It had been the end of her first week in Kiltyre and Myka still couldn't figure out what was happening, for the life of her she didn't even have the slightest idea what the artifact involved might be. There was nothing suspicious about this town, aside from the disappearances, it seemed to be just an ordinary fishing community.

Passing the front desk of the reception on her way to her room, Myka heard the news report in the background “… Many record setting waves have been reported in Jakarta, the river beds are overflowing and flooding half the country, Spain has announced billions of euros in losses in infrastructures from the raging winds, the east coast of America isn’t doing much better and even Australia is gathering its emergency services to evacuate the people in some areas. As we can see here, serious storms are approaching the north of Scotland as well with heavy rain and no sunshine anytime soon, the authorities advise people not to leave their homes unless it’s an emergency…” Myka shook her head and climbed up the stairs, leaving the murmur on the TV behind her, this had “artifact aftermath” written all over it.

It had been a week since the last time she had a good night’s sleep, her mind seemed to be working overtime during the nights and strange and confusing nightmares plagued her dreams. She’d dream of storms, ice-cold raindrops falling harshly on her skin, a hooded figure emerging from the waters holding a trident and walking to the willow tree on top of the cliff… a strong gush of wind blew suddenly and the hood was blown off the person’s head revealing jet black hair underneath and the silhouette of none other than Helena Wells, startling Myka making her wake up gasping for air. She had not seen Helena in a little over a year and yet her mind often drifted to her, wondering where the other woman was, how was she dealing with everything that’s been happening in the world. She had thought they parted as friends but when Claudia’s tongue slipped and she commented how she had helped Helena on her latest mission and heard Helena’s girlfriend in the background, Myka’s heart felt heavy with sadness. Clearly, Helena knew how to contact them but she had chosen not to keep in touch, or at least not to keep in touch with Myka. When Myka herself got Helena’s cellphone number out of Claudia, which involved a lot of bribing, the signal kept ringing until the automated voice of the voicemail greeted her each time she dialed it.

\----------

Today had been yet another clueless day filled with following dead-end leads, Myka was thinking about calling Artie or Claudia, damn the thought of calling Pete even crossed her mind but she knew that there must be a reason why Mrs. Fredrick insisted on her coming alone and not briefing the others about it. So, Myka shook her head, chasing away those thoughts, and headed up the stairs to her room.

Just as she rounded the staircase, ready to go up the second flight of stairs a whiff of apples carried in the air around her. She knew that scent, she could swear Helena had just gone up those same stairs she was on but there was no one around her and it was rather late at night for anyone to be up and about so she thought that the lack of sleep was catching up with her.

Turning the doorknob of her room, Myka saw the light inside already on, she was sure she had switched it off but she was also tired and frustrated so she didn’t give it much importance, at least not until she felt something under her foot. Her left foot had stepped on top of a white sheet of paper, Myka quickly picked it up and saw something written on the other side. “Come to the willow tree tomorrow at noon.” Nothing else was written on it and there didn’t seem to be anything extraordinary about the paper either.

Myka took a deep breath, this small town was starting to mess with her sanity and she murmured under her nose “Great, the only thing I’m missing is Scooby-Doo and I’ll be ready to solve this.”

The next day, Myka found herself walking toward her usual spot, she had been visiting the cliffside near the lighthouse almost every day for the past week, looking for something, a clue left by the last disappearance or a sign that an artifact had been present there.

Despite the fog that would appear to envelop the area each night, the mornings were crisp and fresh, and even sunny with barely any clouds in the skies, even the seagulls’ mewing was more cheerful. White foamy vortices formed as the waves crashed against the rocks of the cliff and even some along the coastline that were almost completely submerged in water.

At first, she'd been going through her notes or talking with Claudia about the details of the case but soon the allure of nature around her made her put everything aside for a couple of moments and let her mind wander.

The weather was still nice despite the dark clouds that were beginning to form in the distance, she used her jacket to sit on it and lean against the willow tree that grew near the edge, nobody knew how the lonely tree got there, the locals even said it was carried by the mermaids from the dept of the ocean, that's why when it swayed its lithe branches with the wind, it looked as if it was seaweed floating in invisible water. There were plenty of pines, oaks, larches, and even numerous acacias but no willows. Myka’s mind hadn’t dwelled on it, she could understand why people loved to make up local legends about it, it was good for tourism but Myka wasn’t a tourist searching for a thrill, she had work to do. That work did not include putting all the legends of the tree to sleep, she was here to bag and tag an artifact that seemed to mess with the weather and make the occasional person disappear, nothing more, nothing less.

Sitting against the tree and marveling at the ocean in front of her Myka didn’t notice when her thoughts would drift always to a certain agent of the warehouse and her long black locks of hair, framing her face almost reverently.

Myka sighed and felt goosebumps erupting from her wrists all the way to the back of her neck, she could feel someone watching her.

Initially, she thought she had been imagining all this, there was no one around. Most people from the village stayed away from the lighthouse, too afraid of superstitions and myths though with all she had seen in her work, Myka couldn't blame them. Better be safe than tinker with stuff you know nothing about.

The wind was picking up, the salty breeze made her skin sticky and her hair had never been so curly as it was now, trying to straighten it was just a nightmarish experience in itself and she quickly gave up on the idea after the first day she had tried it.

She twirled a lock of unruly hair and tucked it back behind her ear, she took one last look at the ocean and got up from the grass, it was well past noon and it was clear that nobody was showing up to meet with her. What games was the warehouse asset playing? She needed to head back to town before the wind picked up even more.

Putting back on her jacket, Myka moved her eyes to the building on the cliffside, the tall lighthouse structure stood there proudly resisting even the harshest streaks of the wind. She saw the drapes of the second-floor window quickly close and she knew there was someone there. “Finally!” Myka thought. She had been meaning to talk to the new owner of the lighthouse since she first came here but they had always managed to avoid her perfectly, until now. Because if there was one thing that Myka Bering was in her core it was persistent and if the warehouse asset wouldn’t come and meet her then she was going to solve that case on her own.

\-----

“I am not going away this time!” – Myka was yelling at the closed door. She had put her jacket on and had walked back to the lighthouse, ready to sit and wait for the lighthouse keeper to run out of patience if that was what it took.

“I saw you watching me from the window so either you…”

Out of nowhere, the door opened and Myka lost all the ability to talk much less yell because here in front of her stood none other than Helena George Wells. The same Helena she last saw in Boone, the same Helena that haunted her dreams, thoughts, and mind in general, but here she was now and suddenly Mrs. Fredrick’s words made complete sense. Loud rumble broke through the sky, the dark clouds that Myka had seen in the distance were now right above them, small but sharp raindrops began soaking the ground.

“Myka.” – The British woman spoke, Myka’s first reaction was to smile when she heard her name from Helena’s lips, with that tinge of an accent, it always made her feel something inexplicable when the other woman said her name but she remembered she was angry at the woman standing at the door.

“Helena…? I thought it was you yesterday! I knew I smelled apples.” – Myka couldn’t believe her eyes, the woman she’s been thinking of this whole time was now standing in front of her. Dressed in long navy trousers, a light blue shirt, and a dark vest, a small silver chain went from the fourth button from the top down to her right pocket… only Helena could pull off that adventurous Victorian look and leave Myka speechless. Helena’s hair was loose around her shoulders and the sleeves of her shirt were scrunched up halfway, making Myka’s eyes move up and down her admiring each detail.

“I thought you’d know...” – Helena said quietly, but before she could say anything else Myka started speaking again.

“Wait, you’re Lorna’s distant niece and the warehouse asset? Why didn’t you contact me sooner?” – Myka’s voice going from surprised to angry in a matter of seconds.

“I am, I was… I need a cover to explain my presence and Lorna’s passing gave me the perfect excuse, no one questioned it. Mrs. Fredrick agreed it would be a good cover and it would permit me to conduct my investigation easier. I didn’t contact you sooner because I needed some time to finish with my own research and going around with the curious American would’ve just made people want to talk to me even less.” – Helena tried to sound logical and to a certain extent her words made sense, people in small communities were wary of strangers, especially those asking so many questions.

However, seeing Myka in front of her, standing dressed in grey pants and a simple fuchsia blouse, very much like the one she first saw her in the Atlas house so many years ago, grey blazer jacket and her curls falling freely around her face, made Helena’s mind a little fuzzy. That has always been her favorite look of Myka, when she’d let her wavy hair swish around, unbound by any elastic bands or tamed with a flat iron.

“That’s all you have to say to me? I’ve been here for a whole week and you’ve been avoiding me all this time because I would’ve hindered _your_ investigation?” – Myka spoke rapidly but instead of answering, Helena moved aside to let her in. This conversation was not apt to be held at a doorstep after all.

Helena took a deep breath and answered calmly “I supposed they’d send a female agent but I hoped it would be Claudia when I saw you instead… I was just... thinking of how to approach you today. When I left you the note yesterday, I almost ripped it apart and knocked on your door at the hotel but I didn’t want to run into Peter assuming that he was with you too. I know he and Artie are not my biggest fans so I just wanted to talk with you first.”

“Really, Helena? And why is that?” – Myka wasn’t sure which stung more, the way Helena said that she was hoping to see Claudia instead or the words themselves. They were friends when they parted ways in Boone, what had happened that suddenly Claudia was Helena’s preferred company? Sure, the young redhead was funny and had a bright mind, and she may have a slight hero worship thing for Helena but Helena had spent every waking moment with Myka back when they worked together, even some not so wake ones.

More often than not they partnered for missions but in the rare moments of peace and quiet, they’d often go to the lake and spend the afternoons there. Myka would read while Helena would practice Kenpo, or tinker with some gadget or another, they’d talk about Helena’s journey to getting re aquatinted with the world around her, the music, the movies… Helena told her all about the rocket she built in 1893 and even spent many restless nights showing her the stars and telling her all about them. Claudia herself had caught them a couple of times asleep in the garden in the morning, Myka’s head resting on Helena’s shoulder and their hands gently touching, thankfully she had been also practicing Kenpo with H.G and her movements had become much stealthier than before so neither woman ever noticed her short presence. Hell, even doing inventory with Helena was something Myka had been looking forward to, she’d tell her about the cases she and Wolly worked, share parts of herself, rummaging through the dusty memories and making Myka smile…

Myka and Helena had now moved into the wide circular room on the first floor, it was the engine room so there were all sorts and manners of pumps, computers, and other machinery that kept the lighthouse functional.

“Claudia is still recovering from her last mission with Steve and with all the rumors about mermaids and sirens, the Regents wouldn’t have risked and sent the men on this mission, not when they have female agents. It’s not that women don’t fall prey to these creatures but a woman is rarely perceived as a threat initially and has bigger chances of surviving if there is an encounter with the creatures in question.” – Myka explained, confirming that Pete wasn’t with her without addressing it explicitly, Helena wasn’t his biggest fan either but she at least handled the situation like a grown-up, ignoring him and his remarks pertaining to “Lady Cuckoo”.

“I can imagine you’re eager to go back to _the Warehouse_.” – Helena said, unable to say “back to Peter”, saying his name felt as if she had eaten glass for lunch.

“I’m more eager to solve this mystery.” – Myka said as she followed Helena up the spiral stairs in the middle of the room. She glanced up and could see several more floors above them, this lighthouse looked big on the outside but on the inside, it was surprisingly even more so thanks to the white walls.

“Where’s Giselle?” – Myka asked reluctantly. She had forgotten about Giselle completely and she wasn’t particularly eager to know where she was but she had to know if she had already said too much aloud or if Helena had told her about the Warehouse. The latter making her blood boil for some reason.

“She’s not... around anymore.” – Helena said offhandedly but refusing to comment any more on that.

They climbed up to the second floor and Myka saw it was the kitchen, the entire building had been renovated in recent years but she could sense the homey feeling of it with its wooden floors, the paintings hanging on the walls, they were mostly of sunrises over the sea and of pebbled beaches with sunbathing seals on them. There were also some of the candles that Helena loved strewn around the room.

“There are often electricity shortages because of the bad weather, the generator is only enough to keep the light at the top to function properly.” – Helena explained as she saw Myka looking at all the candles, her mind trying to sound professional, not mentioning how much she liked the smell of tobacco flower and blood orange because it reminded her of her brother for some reason.

As if the weather was trying to prove a point, a loud thunder sounded and the skies opened, the raindrops that were falling around them started hitting the windows of the lighthouse but Helena kept walking to the cupboards undisturbed.

“Tea? I have coffee but you’re going to have to make it yourself or I won’t be responsible for how bad it tastes.” – Helena said and remembered how Myka teased her before. _“You always complain about how we make the tea but your coffee skills need some improvements as well.”_ The taller agent used to say often after the first time Helena tried making the coffee in the morning.

“Tea is fine.” – Myka said and sat on one of the chairs near the small kitchen island.

The occasional silence between them had now taken the room and the more it endured the heavier it felt. Helena knew her way around the kitchen, Myka wondered how long she had been here for but the kettle quickly boiled, and a few seconds later, there was a steaming cup full with Earl Grey, the familiar cardamom scent enveloping Myka’s senses.

“Do you really think the stories are true, that there are mermaids coming out of the ocean?” – Myka asked, for now avoiding her personal feelings as well.

“We’ve seen stranger things… but so far I haven’t seen anything with my own eyes.” – Helena said as she sat opposite of Myka and silence overtook them again.

“The rain doesn’t seem to be easing up.” – Myka commented, it was barely five o’clock in the afternoon but the bad weather made this winter day seem even shorter than usual.

“What have you learned so far then? Any ideas of what the artifact is?” – She asked, finding the perfect excuse to fill the silence but Helena’s hesitance to answer was beginning to frustrate Myka.

“Look, you don’t want me here, fine but if we work together it will be faster and the sooner we get to the bottom of this the sooner you’ll go back to traveling the world with Giselle.” – Myka’s last words tasted like pure vinegar in her mouth and saw Helena looking at her with narrowed eyes.

“And am I supposed to believe you don’t wish to be reunited with Peter as soon as possible?” – The Brit barked back.

“You once said I was lying to myself, that being with Nate was like trying to patch a wound with a Band-Aid but you starting a relationship with Peter is like wanting to scale Everest in a swimsuit. Not to mention that I had to find out from Claudia.” – Helena’s voice coming out dangerously low now.

“When did you even find out about that? It wasn’t…” – Myka tried to speak but Helena interrupted her again.

“Not that it matters but I called two weeks after I ended things with Nate. I had agreed to help the Regents find Caesar’s dagger, it was stirring some problems in Rome and I called to ask for some assistance but your phone went straight to voicemail. I really hate these answering machines… Anyhow, I called the B&B and Claudia picked up, I asked about you but she said you were out on a date with Peter.” – Helena explained, she had thought that she’d already made her peace with it but she still felt angry at the memory and Myka was sitting there with her mouth agape, she had seen the missed calls of the unknown number but she got distracted with other things and forgot to return the call.

“Look Myka, let’s just… forget about all this and concentrate on solving this case, and then we can go on our separate ways. We made a great team, solving puzzles and saving the day.” – The nostalgia clear in her voice and there were so many things Myka wanted to tell her. She wanted to shout that dating Pete had been the biggest mistake of her life, that it almost ruined their friendship beyond repair because she was too proud and scared at the same time, to admit that the person she really wanted was Helena herself but instead Myka nodded with her head and agreed with Helena. This wasn’t the moment to have this conversation, they had to work quickly to prevent another person from disappearing, so Myka repeated her previous question “So, do you know what exactly is the artifact?”

“Not yet but I think I’m on the right track. Let me show you what I have found out so far.” – Helena walked toward the stairs and began climbing them again, waiting for Myka to follow. The next floor was a bedroom but everything looked ordered like in an Ikea catalog, too ordered, as the hotel rooms when you first enter them. Between the big windows, Myka could see another set of paintings, the first one depicting a XVI century galleon proudly battling the stormy waters, its white sails capturing the wind and displaying one big black eagle holding a coat of arm, it was the emblem of the Spanish catholic monarchs if Myka’s memory served her right. And the second painting hanging right beside the massive shelf furniture covered with books presented a more serene scene, one of a simple fishermen’s boat tied to a desolate pier and a huge blue moon above it.

Helena kept walking up and now Myka was sure she was in Helena’s room, it wasn’t messy per se but there were entirely too many open books and tools laying around the night table and there were even a few pages with scribbles on them strewn on the bed itself. She would bet her entire salary that there was a notebook with at least two pencils in the drawer of the night table, she remembered how Helena’s room at the B&B used to look very similar to this one. Helena didn’t need to comment on this room but Myka loved how familiar it felt, it was also the only one that was equipped with a bathroom.

Passing through Helena’s room, she could see a beautiful painting of a mermaid, she was in the shallow crystal waters playing with a small human child under another blue moon. The mermaid had long white hair, black and gold Akoya pearls intertwined in her braids, her tail was emerald green and her sharp features resembled closely those of a human but there was something about her, a frightening radiance that hid behind the calm and beautiful exterior. The tag in the lower right corner only read _“Meeting Thea”_ and the initials _B. K_ under the title. _“Of course, the creepy mermaid painting couldn’t be missing.”_ Myka thought and shook her head, the legends and the fog were starting to get to her.

Moving silently up the stairs, Helena stepped aside and let Myka climb into the final floor before the lantern room. This was the only room that had a door on it since the wide stone stairs ended on that floor. The way that led to the room above this one was in the middle of the watch room and the trapdoor that opened it had its own staircase since going up there was rarely needed once the lighthouse was modernized.

"This used to be the service or watch room but after the lighthouse’s system was updated and the heavy machines were moved to the ground floor, it left much free space here so I've been using it as an office of sorts." - Helena explained and Myka could see the obvious signs of the case research Helena had been doing. The maps of different years and time periods splayed around the walls, notes with sightings of the mermaids or newspapers cutouts of shipwrecks with barely any survivors speaking of the hypnotizing songs they had heard or the panicked cries for help coming from the dark waters. This entire office setting reminded Myka a bit of Helena’s Atlas house, where they met for the first time. Her eyes were busy scanning the notes and the different colors of yard connecting seemingly random dots on the newspaper clippings that she almost didn’t notice the paintings that decorated this room. This time both depicted different landscapes, one was Kiltyre in the 1980s and the other one was of the infamous willow tree near the cliff.

The big desk next to the windows was covered in books, numerous, old, yellowish tomes opened on certain pages and marked. Myka could see the way Helena's eyes scanned the room as well, she looked tired, she could see how exhausted Helena felt but when the Brit started talking Myka shifted her focus back to the case at hand.

“There wasn’t anything suspicious about the town until the disappearances started happening at the turn of the XXth century. From this point on, it’s a whole other story, reports of glowing blue people resurfacing from the waters, alluring violin melodies coming from the ocean at night, mysterious white horses and mermaids with emerald tails lounging on the rocks start appearing once or twice a year in the local newspapers. There is no apparent reason for all this, it happens at different times of the year, different seasons, and eras. I cannot find the pattern of the disappearance.” – Helena said and Myka’s eyes skimmed over the newspaper cutouts for the dates. It was just like Helena said, the clues were all over the place. Myka saw Helena backing up against the desk, she was obviously tired but her damn pride didn’t let her admit it, she had been gathering all this research for so long that Myka was sure she had gone back to her irregular sleeping habits. Helena was like that when she stumbled on something she couldn’t understand, she didn’t rest until she understood it and something in Myka pushed her to make an exaggerated yawn.

“We should call it a night and continue tomorrow.” – Helena said as she saw the other woman covering her mouth with her hand, making Myka mentally pat herself on the back, she knew that Helena needed the rest but wouldn’t get it if they delved even further into the case and in all honesty, her brain could use the sleep as well.

“You’re right, I should… go. Do you um… have an umbrella or something?” – Myka asked but her voice sounded unsure, she knew that the umbrella wouldn’t do her much good with all the walking she had ahead of her but she wasn’t looking forward to getting soaked and risk catching a cold.

"You could just stay here instead, there’s no need for you to catch a cold.” – Helena said and she saw Myka hesitate for a moment.

“Or you could take my car bag and bring it tomorrow when you come again, just keep in mind that the rain makes the roads to town almost impossible to drive on. It gets very slippery.” – Helena added, wanting to give Myka some options.

“I think it would be best to avoid driving in these conditions.” – Myka said and as if on cue a strong gush of wind closed the half-open door of Helena’s bathroom on the floor beneath them.

“You can use the spare bedroom tonight, we’d have to share the bathroom but you already know I prefer taking showers before bed so I don’t think we’d have a problem with that. I’ll get you some of my clothes to change into and I’ll try to search for the longest pajamas I have. Unfortunately, I don’t have fuzzy slippers to offer you.” – Helena chuckled as she remembered the morning rush in Leena’s B&B, the races to who’d get to shower first in the mornings, and Myka’s bunny slippers. It was complete chaos but she just laughed from the sidelines at the way everyone rushed to get to the shower first and not run out of hot water.

“I can manage for one night.” – Myka couldn’t help it and let out a small laugh as well.

“Actually, you can… stay here until we solve this case, I mean there’s… plenty of room like you saw.” – Helena offered and that took Myka by surprise, just a mere couple of hours ago they were talking about not being around each other for longer than strictly necessary and now Helena suggested this as if she’s asking her for tea.

“We already agreed that we work well together and we’ve already lived across the hall from each other so we know we wouldn’t end up driving each other insane for a few days.” – Helena added quickly, feeling the need to rationalize her earlier offer.

“I need to go back for my stuff in the hotel tomorrow morning. I have my notebook and the research I’ve done this past week there and it could help us to compare the information we’ve gathered but you’re right, it makes sense to stay here until the mission is finished.” – Myka said and she saw Helena agreeing with her head.

“Right, well, I should go give the weather report before I retire for the night, this is still a functioning lighthouse after all.”– Helena said, glad to have an excuse to leave Myka for the night, keeping her cover was an important part of the job and Helena always excelled at that.

That night was the first one Myka managed to get some actual sleep and not just turn and twist around in bed until yet another nightmare got ahold of her mind. Waking up, she stretched and got up, walking quietly up the stairs and peaking slightly to see if Helena was up as well, should she just stride into her room and use her shower or should she wait for her to get up and have a shower then. Unsure of what the morning etiquette in a lighthouse was, Myka tiptoed in pajamas that had bunched to the point between her knee and her ankle. She was surprised to discover that Helena’s bed was already made and after another moment she heard the distinct whistle of a kettle coming from the kitchen.

Myka, took her usual morning shower and got dressed in yesterday’s clothes, and descended the stairs.

“Was there enough hot water in the shower?” – Helena asked, genuinely curious, she was already dressed. Today she had chosen a more modern look with white suit pants and a green shirt and her hair was up in a ponytail.

“Are you kidding me? You remember that we actually have to time the showers in Leena’s B&B right?” – Myka laughed as she remembered how she and Claudia would open the kitchen tab every time Pete went above the 15 min limit. It wasn’t the most grown-up behavior but if Myka could do it in time with her hair, he could definitely do it if he actually showered instead of serenading the whole building.

“I was thinking we should go to the library and check the reports from the disappearances again, there’s something we are missing, there must be a pattern.” – Myka said as she took a cup and poured herself some Earl Grey, remembering how Helena had left her mug on the table yesterday and did not pass it directly to her hands like she used to do. They were both looking forward to those small casual touches back when they worked together but now Helena was avoiding the contact with her as if she was made out of pure fire.

“I have been trying to find common factors among the victims but so far the only thing they all had in common was the place they lived. The last victim was 18, the fishermen before him were 40 and 42, the ones from the year before were 32 and 81 and the ones before that are different ages as well so this can’t be a factor. I know Claire, the librarian, she is born here and has lived here all her life, I’ll talk to her and try to find out more about the victims.” – Helena said and both women descended the stairs, getting out of the lighthouse and into Helena’s car. Her driving skills had improved considerably but she still wasn’t the biggest fan of driving.

“Do you mind if we go to my hotel room first, I need to change and we can get my notes as well.” – Myka asked, breaking the silence between them even though it wasn’t as charged and uncomfortable as the one from yesterday.

Their day went pretty much like they had discussed in the morning, after stopping at Myka’s hotel and getting her things with them, they went to the library and while Myka went over the files, Helena talked with Claire and then they compared notes over lunch. Even though the day wasn’t extremely sunny or hot, it wasn’t until this moment that dense and cold fog invaded the streets of Kiltyre, trapping the village in a grey cloud.

It was in the late afternoon and the agents decided it was time to get back to the lighthouse. This time Myka offered to drive back and Helena didn’t need much convincing to accept the offer. They were beginning to fall back into their old routines but it drove Myka crazy to have this invisible barrier between them. They arrived quickly back at the lighthouse, much quicker than if Helena had driven and Myka went to get her luggage from the back seat of the car.

“Let me help you up the stairs at least?” – Helena offered as they entered the building, neither of them noticing two long, pale blue figures pass beside their car. Their bodies barely distinguishable in the fog, the washed-out faces watching Myka and Helena without approaching them.

“Okay, you go first and I’ll lift the bottom.” – Myka said as she closed the door of the lighthouse and turned toward the spiral staircase, she was lucky the stairs were wider on the lower floors.

“Let me just get this sorted out quickly and we can call Claudia, she texted me she had something useful for us.” – Myka told Helena as they dragged her suitcase to the first bedroom.

“I didn’t know Claudia was briefed on our mission.” – Helena was sure the redhead would’ve been here if she was given the option.

“Mrs. Fredrick said she couldn’t come with me not that she couldn’t help.” – Myka grinned and surely if the girl was preparing to be the next Warehouse guardian then she had to have more experience than your average agent.

“She has grown quite a lot in the last couple of years.” – Helena was talking with a gentle voice, she had grown to care for Claudia a lot when they worked together and now she could say she even loved that kid as if she was her own little sister.

“Yes, she still has quite the long path to walk but she’ll be fine.” – Myka was pretty sure they’d never see Claudia’s full journey but they would both enjoy all the time they share together.

“Righty ho then, I’ll make us some dinner and see if I can find you an extra blanket for tonight, it’s getting rather cold. Come to the kitchen when you’re ready.” – Helena said as she heard the waves crashing loudly against the rocks outside.

“Another storm is coming.” – Myka’s words made Helena shiver as she turned to walk down the stairs. The weather was getting worse and worse with each passing day, each fog denser than the last, each wave crashing harder than the one before, and no more sunny days in between. It was as if the weather was taunting them, reminding them that they were running out of time.

Myka took the clothes and notes out of her suitcase and descended the stairs with her Farnsworth in her hands, sitting next to Helena, Myka made sure she was close enough for her to see and hear what Claudia had to say but she was still careful not to touch her.

The Farnsworth’s buzzing interrupted their musings and Myka opened it to greet one sleepy-looking redhead on the other side of the lens.

“Hey Claud.”– Myka greeted her as soon as the redhead appeared on the screen.

“H.G! It’s so good to actually see you again!” – Claudia blurred out excitedly as soon as she saw Helena standing by Myka’s side.

“Hello darling, I’m glad to see you too.” – Helena downed one of her most charming smiles and Claudia actually blushed slightly, her hero-worship thing clearly not completely dissipated but when Helena George Wells called you “darling” you tend to blush, no matter how much you admire her.

“Are you coming to visit soon, we can work some more on that _curiosity_ detection sensors when you do!” – Claudia was like a kid on Christmas morning and it made Helena laugh wholeheartedly to see someone so genuinely happy to see her. Someone beside Myka of course.

Claudia had started referring to artifacts as “curiosities” quite often since Helena helped them on Joshua’s trumpet case years ago, she liked the way it sounded and the pinch of mystery it gave to each find.

“Claud, you said you had something for us…?” – Myka prompted her younger colleague to tell them what she had found out, letting her chat with Helena about their inventions was never a short conversation.

Claudia glared at her as if she’d given her a brand-new toy and then taken it away in an instant but she straightened her stance and began talking. “I do, actually. I just don’t know how much sense it will make.” – The young woman was visibly excited to share.

“I’m sure it will make plenty, there is nothing I would not believe possible at this point.” – Helena said, encouraging Claudia.

“I did some more research on the family that served as the lighthouse keepers as you asked me. I found out that Brown was Lorna’s married name, her maiden surname was Kelly, her mother was Beatrice Kelly. Beatrice and her husband Philip came to Kiltyre in the early 1900s from the Isle of Man and raised their two daughters there but the eldest died when she was ten from tuberculosis. In 1927 Lorna’s father, Philip, disappears and is never heard from again, her mother married another man but shortly after that, they both died from pneumonia. Lorna married a fisherman that died on the front in WWII, he left her with no children or money. She never remarried, just spent the rest of her life taking care of the lighthouse.” – Claudia spoke and saw Myka and Helena nodding at the new information.

“I thought you said there was something strange about all that but Claud so far everything seems ordinary, very tragic but still, ordinary.” – Myka said and saw Claudia grab another folder that was near her.

“While I was looking at all the information, I stumbled on an old article from a Scottish newspaper, dated back to 1803. It talks about a girl from the Isle of Man who claimed that a mermaid baby stole her doll while she played on the beach but her mother made her return it along with a pearl necklace as an apology. The girl’s name was Elizabeth Kelly.” – Claudia explained and looked as both agents connected the dots in a heartbeat.

“She was Lorna’s great, great, great, grandmother.” – Helena’s eyes widened in surprise, and added quickly putting her hand on Myka’s without noticing from all the excitement. “Myka the first records of suspicious sightings begin from 1913! Just when Lorna’s family moved here.”

Helena suddenly realized where her hand was and quickly pulled it away, ignoring the flash of hurt that passed through Myka’s features.

“So, there must be something they brought with them? Maybe they didn’t even know about the artifact that was in their possession.” – Myka asked, something wasn’t adding up here.

“I’m still looking into it, when I have some more information, I’ll call you. In the meantime, be careful. Both of you.”– Claudia said and looked at them, for a moment it felt like she was the big sister in their dynamic.

Tuned out Helena had become quite the masterful cook while she had been away from the Warehouse, her pasta was rivaling that of Leena even. Their dinner was a quiet affair, each of them going through the information in their heads, this wasn’t something new for them however, they were comfortable in sharing the silence with each other while their minds rushed with new hypotheses and probable outcomes.

It was right when Myka finished washing the final plate and handed it to Helena to dry it when the electricity went out. Helena could already hear the generators kicking in, the light in the cupola at the top shining at full capacity again, the whole switch was made in half a minute so there were no disastrous consequences of the lights going out but they still had to light the candles in the kitchen.

“I’ll go light the candles.” – Helena said and moved to the drawers on the right, taking out a flashlight and turning it on.

“I only have one flashlight so don’t move for a second.” – She said and moved away from Myka.

As Helena was lighting the candles one by one in the room, Myka slowly started seeing their surroundings again. The light from the flames was much softer than the one from the light bulbs and soon a sweet blackberry mixed woody scent filled the air. It wasn’t a good idea to keep that many candles in the office with so much paper around but here in the kitchen it seemed like a great idea, now Myka noticed that they were strategically placed around the entire room to fill it with light and each candle stood in a cup or a jar, isolating it from all the flammable surroundings.

“I can see why there are so many legends about this place. I can’t even see the willow tree.” – Myka said as she backed away from the window and accepted her cup from Helena, this time the older woman handed it carefully directly to her hands. The tea was still steaming hot and some smoke was coming from the top of the mug, the familiar scent of Earl Grey tickled Myka’s nose and she took a deep breath to savor the scent. She missed the mornings when Helena would make her tea and Myka would tease that coffee was better but she always accepted gladly the cup that Helena would pass her. It had become something like a ritual for them when they both worked at the Warehouse, when the tension and the looks, and the random touches between them were easier to ignore.

Helena joined her on the couch, it wasn’t often that she wished she had a TV, these things were loud and she enjoyed the murmur of the sea but now with the crashing waves against the cliffs, she felt the small hairs at the back of her neck stand up. Her mind wondering if perhaps there was some truth to the legends about this place but Myka’s presence by her side turned out to be much more distracting.

The strong wind from outside whistled from the small cracks in some of the window frames and it reminded Myka of the chilly atmosphere now that the heating was turned off. Helena saw Myka putting her feet under her and realized that there was a way to keep them both warm for now at least but she’d have to move past her aversion to having even her pinkie touching Myka.

“I have something that can keep us warm for a while.” – The older woman said and go up from her seat, she walked to the wooden chest that was under one of the windows and pulled out a blanket from the inside. It wasn’t too big but it would be enough if they squished together a bit.

Walking back to the sofa, Helena handed Myka one end of the blanket and she took it immediately, thank God the couch at least was wide enough for them to sit comfortably and even lie on it.

“It does seem a bit eerie I suppose, it actually reminds me of London back in the days. The fog was much stifling though and not nearly as easy to breathe as this one. The smoke from the chimneys was heavy on your lungs, the smell of the burned coal would stick to your clothes and it would take days to wash it away. It used to anger Wolly to no end.” – Helena let out a small chuckle, remembering how Wolly used to complain about that.

“You two were very close.” – Myka stated carefully, knowing this could turn quickly into a sore subject for Helena.

“We were. He was my best friend. He was even Christina’s godfather.” – Helena said and remembered the best moment with her fellow Warehouse 12 agent.

Helena didn’t speak often of that side of her life back then, she always omitted the more personal things even with Myka but tonight she didn’t want to hold back anymore. This might be the last time she’d get to feel the other woman’s body by her side and she fought with her desire and logic. The first one telling her to wrap her arms around Myka and hold her tight and the second one reminding her that she couldn’t, shouldn’t do that anymore.

The night went on with Helena telling Myka about the first time Wolly held Christina, how she had vomited all over his uniform but he only laughed and said he had plenty of other shirts to change at home. She didn’t tell her about the time Wolly covered for her while she tried to use Peter Henlein’s watch to turn back time. She had tried twice before and he always helped but this time it ended up costing him his life, she didn’t tell Myka how she had been too blinded by the desire to bring her little girl back that she had turned reckless and didn’t read the entire file on the artifact. That would’ve made this night even more unbearable so she stuck to the happier times.

Myka in turn told her how about the time she tried to fly like Mary Poppins and ended up with a broken leg, somehow in her seven-year-old mind jumping with an umbrella from the tallest branch of a tree and not crash on the ground made sense.

They traded stories through the hours of the night until they both nodded off, cuddled in their cocoon of warmth and blackberry aroma. It was some time before sunrise that Myka opened her eyes and saw Helena’s head pressed against her shoulder and she moved slowly, trying not to wake her up and pulled her to lie more comfortably on her, wrapping one of her arms around the other woman and going back to sleep. Barely registering Helena’s own arm draping over her middle and her sleepy exhale of air tickle the nape of her throat.

On the next day, Helena was the first one to wake up again but when she realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch with Myka her heart doubled its beating pace. Despite the weird position they had fallen asleep in, her body wasn’t sore or tired.

The blanket was still wrapped around them and Helena moves quietly, trying not to disturb Myka who opened her eyes as soon as Helena got up on her feet and walking to the light switch in the room. Helena flicked it making the lightbulb shine.

“Hey.” – She said, her voice raspy with sleep and Helena barely stopped herself from kissing Myka awake then and there. Having her so close all night without being able to touch her was the most exquisite of tortures.

“Good morning, I didn’t mean to wake you but I had to check if the power is back on…” – She tried to apologize but Myka rubbed her eyes and got up to her feet as well.

“Don’t worry, I should be up already anyway.” – Myka said and went to her room for a fresh change of clothes.

Helena blew out all the candles around the room, they were all consumed halfway but thankfully the electricity was back. Helena finished revising the generators and went up the stairs, she was just thinking of making some more tea when she heard the kettle whistle and saw Myka pouring hot water into their cups.

“The fog seems to be dissipating.” – Myka peaked out of the window again.

“It would seem so but it doesn’t look like we’ll get any sun today either but at least the sea is calmer.” – Helena had already given the weather report this morning but it felt weird to talk about this when last night’s sleeping arrangements were still on their minds.

“Yeah, it’s always a bit more excited at high tide, the full moon seems to give the perfect conditions for urban legends to be born.” – She laughed slightly at her words but the last part stuck in her mind for some reason.

Full moon, local legends, disappearances, sightings… the dates… she had to check the dates again!

“Helena!” – Myka’s elevated voice brought her out of her mind.

“I’ve called your name twice and you didn’t hear me, are you okay?” – The younger woman asked now taking a step closer to Helena, she knew that look.

“The dates! Myka, I think I know what the common factor is!” – Helena exclaimed quickly and dashed up the stairs with Myka at her footsteps.

“Every time there was a disappearance, it was on a full moon. Lorna’s entire family is gone so there is no reason for the artifact to still be active but what if it doesn’t need a human conduit anymore? What if activating it once was all that had to be done?” – Helena kept talking as she climbed the stairs to the office at the top of the lighthouse.

“But not every full moon caused the artifact to wake up. There’s a full moon each month but the disappearances only happened once o twice a year at a random time.” – Myka said, still not understanding where Helena’s mind was headed.

The older agent ran to the desk and opened the first drawer where she had left the papers that didn’t fit on the walls anymore and she started sorting frantically through them. Taking seemingly arbitrary newspaper cutouts and putting them on the floor, ordering them in chronological order. She could only find five of the dates she was looking for, the latest five cases but she could bet her life that the patron followed all throughout the history of the cases.

Taking one last look at the notes, Helena smiled satisfied, her big smile making Myka even more curious as to what the agent had discovered.

“Myka, it’s the blue moon. Everything is tied to the blue moon. Look at the dates, it’s always at the apex of the full blue moon that people disappear but the apparitions and sightings begin a couple of days prior. Like a warning that whatever is coming is near.” – Helena explained and Myka realized that she had been right.

Myka moved to write all the dates of the cases hanging on the wall. “We should check all the dates then, I’m sure I read a few times about people seeing a mermaid with emerald tail near the rocks on a full moon, maybe that’s what started all the legends.”

“Maybe, they aren’t legends at all.” – Helena said as she moved to search through the old weather reports of the lighthouse.

“Helena, there’s a blue moon in two days. Whatever is making these people disappear without a trace is growing stronger, each time more people are taken and the weather gets worse and worse. We’ve been seeing the signs for weeks now, whatever is coming it’s big. We need to find what the artifact is.

That’s how Myka and Helena spent the entire day, cross-referencing dates and re-reading the sightings that appeared in the newspapers. There were more than a hundred stories to go through. It was clear that some redactors over the years frowned at those stories, thinking they were just a publicity stunt, barely sparing a line or two about how fishermen had seen a mermaid that made the waters glow.

By the time they went through all the dates and stories, it had already become dark outside and their stomachs protested loudly at being ignored all day.

“We should get something to eat and continue with this later.” – Helena offered as she heard Myka’s belly rumble again, they hadn’t noticed how late it was getting.

“Are you saying you’re going to make more of that amazing pasta like last night?” – Myka asked hopefully. They had done good research so far but they couldn’t continue without eating or taking a small break-even.

Descending slowly the stairs, Myka noticed the painting in Helena’s room again, the mermaid with the emerald tail and the haunting appearance.

“Do you think Lorna ever saw that mermaid and that’s why she drew that particular painting?” – She asked as they continued going down to the kitchen.

“Maybe, or maybe she just believed too much in the legends.” – Helena said with a shrug as she started preparing the ingredients for tonight’s dinner.

After they ate, Myka and Helena took their cups with tea and went back up the stairs, their hands itching to get more information on their case but their eyes tired from reading all day. Myka opened the door to the gallery outside, the structure serving a bit like a balcony of sorts. It was wide enough for two people to pass each other without any problems and still have extra space but the cold air cleaned and reinvigorated Myka’s hazy mind and she settled on the weaved couch - like furniture.

The big cushions on top of the weaved plastic cords were fluffy and comfortable. Myka took a look around and even though tonight the waters were calm, it got her worried. It seemed like there was this mist in the air, covering everything in minuscules droplets of water and blurring the horizon line.

“Penny for your thoughts?” – Helena’s voice sounded from the door.

Myka answered with a small smile “Join me and you can keep your penny.”

And so Helena did, she was still holding her cup of tea in her hands and sat next to Myka, sleeping curled together on the couch in the kitchen made her realize that bidding Myka goodbye after all this is finished will be inevitably hard weather she jumped like burned each time there was a minimum of contact between them or she fell back into the old routines and welcomed Myka’s touch.

“You look troubled.” – Helena said as she took one more careful look at Myka.

“The blue moon is in a day and tonight everything is so calm, it’s like the calm before the storm and if we don’t find the artifact that causes all this, I’m not sure we’d live to tell the tale.” – The curly-haired woman said and took a sip from her mug.

“If we haven’t found the artifact by tomorrow night you don’t have to stay here, Myka. I can look for it on my own.” – Helena’s voice wasn’t as confident as she wanted it to sound and Myka turned to look at her.

“I am not leaving you to deal alone with all this if that’s what you’re implying!” – She sounded indignant, angry even that Helena would suggest that so she left her mug on the ground and got on her feet. She could feel the same anger as when Helena sacrificed herself for the warehouse, bubbling inside her chest.

Walking up to the railings of the gallery, Myka looked at the vast expanse of water in front of her, only the rotating light above them cruising on its surface.

“Myka, there’s no sense in just…”

“Wait, Helena, look!” – Myka cut her off mid-sentence, she was pointing at the waves but the other woman couldn’t see anything aside from water.

Myka gasped surprised. “There is something there! It looks like the water is glowing.” And even though Helena couldn’t see anything, she ran quickly inside and got the binoculars, passing them to Myka as she returned to the catwalk.

“You know this place is known for the often presence of dinoflagellates in the water, it makes it look like it’s shining as the seals swim there at night.” – Helena said but Myka passed her the binoculars.

“I don’t this those are seals swimming.” – The agent’s serious face made Helena worried and she took the binoculars, letting Myka guide her hands to the spot right next to the rocks that were covered in a constant red glowing light.

Sure enough, it didn’t look like it was a seal swimming around in the dark water, to begin with, the creature looked rather big for a seal and at this time of the night, a seal would hunt for prey not just swim aimlessly in circles.

“We should go take a closer look, any chance you have a boat somewhere around?” – Myka asked as she saw Helena lowering the binoculars and unable to come up with a logical reason for what they were seeing.

“Might be a trap but yes I know where we can find a boat.” – Helena warned but she was already following Myka as they climbed down the stairs.

“It usually is but we need answers.” – She heard her say but for some reason, she sounded more excited than scared. A heavy thunder greeted them as they exited the lighthouse, the air was heavy with the scent of rain and even though the clouds above them weren’t completely dark, they still held the promise of rain.

The boat, which was generously called so in Helena’s opinion, was made by Lorna’s husband and usually stayed on the beach, it looked suspiciously a lot like the one on the painting in Myka’s room, that hung right next to the Spanish galleon. Apparently, Lorna didn’t worry much about someone stealing their boat, and truth be told nobody would think to steal it anyway, nowadays nobody bothered with boats that didn’t have engines.

Myka and Helena quickly rolled up their sleeves and pushed the boat, dragging it on the pebbles until they reached the water’s edge. They managed to grab the oars and row half the distance to where the water still sparkled when small droplets of water began cascading from the skies above them.

“Next time, I’m bringing a swimsuit with me.” – Myka murmured annoyed. This was not how she pictured the night going. The rain was picking up and they were already soaked to the bone as it was, the surface of the water around them glowing softly as the rain from above broke through it.

“Perhaps next time we’ll get lucky and the end of the world will start from somewhere sunnier.” – Helena laughed.

Myka and Helena were almost at the spot where the water was shimmering and they could see the shape of something with a long tail swimming around their boat. Helena was just about to ask if they should have taken some fish with them and dangle it above the water when something hit their boat from under them.

Both Myka and Helena jumped closer to each other, they waited for a few moments and nothing happened, so Myka decided to sneak a quick peek at the waters around their boat and saw a flash of green scales swimming quickly before her eyes and the boat rocked again, making Helena pull Myka back from the edge.

“I think I know who that is or perhaps it’s better to say what.” – Myka said and couldn’t help it as an exciting smile settles on her face.

“Myka…” – Helena wanted to protest but then a pair of almost fluorescent green eyes appeared above the water, hiding the rest of the mysterious face underwater.

“Thea?” – Myka asked loudly as she tried to contain her excitement to seeing and speaking to an actual mermaid. They had already dealt with artifacts that transformed humans into superheroes and ones that trapped a person’s mind or alter ego and basically created ghosts but seeing an actual mermaid with her own eyes gave Myka quite the rush.

“Your name is Thea isn’t it?” – The American repeated her question and this time she saw the creature approaching, her face fully visible now, even part of her tail could be seen.

“How do you know my name, human? Only one of your kind knows it I don’t see her with you.” – Thea asked, looking at Myka from head to toe, she was ready to turn back and swim far into the ocean again. She looked even more beautiful than on the painting, she pearls in her hair truly emitting a tamed glow under the dulled moonlight mist.

“We knew Lorna.” – Myka quickly answered and saw the look of recognition on the mermaid’s face. She had blurred out the name of the old woman on a hunch and it seemed that she was right, the mermaid knew who they were talking about.

“I suppose there’s a reason why she’s not with you?” – Thea said, her voice dripping with sadness and her eyes looking down at her reflection, she already knew the answer to that question.

“Lorna passed away five weeks ago.” – Helena said in a low voice filled with amazement.

“How did _you_ know her? Did she summon you here to take revenge on someone?” – Myka asked and saw Thea looking at her as if she had lost her mind.

“Summon? And for revenge nonetheless? You, humans, are so full of hubris sometimes.” – Thea laughed as she looked at Myka, scolding her with nothing more but a look.

“My story of how I know Lorna is a bit long but I’ll try to summarize it all for you. Many, many years ago I met a little girl, Elizabeth, when we were children, after I gave her back the doll, we became friends. She was a girl living on an island and we were both very curious about each other. The second time I visited, my mother made me bring Lizzie a pearl necklace to apologize properly for stealing her doll and she wore it all the time, never took it off. I was so eager to see her every time I visited, it felt like the pearls of her necklace were calling for me but my excitement to see Lizzie each time blinded me to the call of the pearls.” – Thea spoke and her eyes filled with joy as she remembered the old times. She could spend hours telling them how they played and swam together, even after all these years, the memory of her first human friend was fresh in her mind. Both Myka and Helena realizing with each of her words how special the bond between them had been and how that bond ended up creating an artifact.

“But, time affects us differently than humans, so while Elizabeth grew up and had children of her own, I continued visiting her and her family each time there was a blue moon, looking exactly like I do now.”

“But why the blue moon? Why not any other full moon?” – Myka mused aloud and Thea shot her a look with an arched eyebrow as if scolding her silently.

“The blue moon is the only time when the ocean rises enough for us to travel so far, over the years I got to know all of her family, her daughters, the daughters of her daughters and so on… they became something like a family to me as well. The pearl necklace I gave Lizzie was what made it easy for me to find Beatrice when she moved from the Isle of Man to Kiltyre, its pull is undeniable now, getting stronger and stronger with each year, it serves as a beacon of sorts for the creatures of the sea now. Lorna told me about the disappearances over the years but I’d have never hurt her or any other human.” – Thea said, the water around her illuminating as she moved her tail around.

“So, you were friends with Lorna. But if it wasn’t you who kidnapped those people that who did?” – Myka asked, she was still curious to see a real mermaid swimming around them.

“Nereids don’t hurt humans and, just to be clear, we don’t wait to _be summoned_ by you to appear. My family may be the only kind thing to venture so out of the ocean’s depths but we’re certainly not the only ones.” – Thea spoke. She was still visibly sad about Lorna’s passing.

“Then who did?” – Myka repeated and Helena quickly added “Or what?” to the previous agent’s question.

Thea took a deep breath and spoke again “You call them by many different names, Ashrays, Bäckahästen, Grindylows, Fosse grims… You humans come up with such strange names sometimes.” - Thea chuckled to herself.

“Why would they want to kidnap humans? It doesn’t make sense.” – Myka was getting flustered and saw an angry flash pass through Thea’s eyes.

“You have been filling our oceans with plastic and trash for years, you’ve been killing and hunting creatures of the sea for centuries and you continue to destroy our home with your oil platforms and testing weapons! The Ocean has plenty of reasons to wish for your extinction and this time it might just get its wish.” – Thea’s words gave Myka a flashback from when Helena was holding the Minoan trident. It wasn’t that Thea was wrong, she knew the mermaids' words made sense as harsh as they were but some poor fishermen couldn’t pay the price for the billionaire corporations that didn’t care.

“If we gave you back the necklace you gave Elizabeth, would that stop the other sea creatures from coming near this town?” – Helena asked, trying to find a way to avoid things from escalating.

“I believe so. Beatrice told me she had buried it under the weeping tree to hide it from her first husband who wasn’t the most caring or sober of men and left her broke, having to raise their two daughters.” – Thea spoke.

“He had a rather _unfortunate_ accident at sea one day.” – She added and a small gleeful smile flashed on her lips for a moment, it was enough to send chills down Myka’s spine.

Helena gulped as she understood what Thea had been implying but this was not the time to talk about this. “Myka, we should head back.” They were drenched and if they didn’t want to catch a cold before they could find the necklace, they had to go back to the lighthouse. They finally knew what they were looking for and where to search, they were so close to putting an end to all this.

“Meet us at the beach on the night of the full moon and you’ll have the necklace.” – Myka said as Thea kept swimming in circles around them.

“I shall see you in two nights’ time then.” – Thea said and before the agents could say anything, she turned her back to them and swam away rapidly.

“I don… don’t know i-if I should be scared o-or impressed by Thea.” – Helena said in a shaky voice, she was starting to tremble from the cold rain and Myka knew they both needed to get out of this downpour.

It was eighteen minutes later when Myka and Helena entered through the front door of the lighthouse again, their clothes and hair dripping with rainwater. They dropped their heavy jackets on the floor, not bothering to hang them properly because the chill was starting to get too strong. Their shoes squeaking and leaving a wet trail after them. By the time they made it to Helena’s room, her lips were starting to turn blue and she had the most unpleasant of flashbacks in her mind where she felt the cold of the victims of the Titanic back in Russia.

Just as Myka guided her to the bathroom and turned on the water, the electricity went out again, leaving them enveloped in darkness on top of still being soaked to the bone and shaking.

“Bloody hell!” – Helena’s voice expressed exactly what Myka was thinking as well. The taller woman took one of the towels on the door and wrapped it around Helena.

“Do you have a lighter here? I can light the candles and we can get you in the shower.” – Myka said as she was looking around, trying to see where the candles were, the only one she could see was the one standing on the window frame.

“First draw-wer on the left, next t-to the spare bottle of sshampoo.” – Helena managed to say between shivers, any other time when she wasn’t shaking like a leaf, she’d have insisted she could do it on her own but now she could barely keep her eyes open. Her body was suddenly feeling tired, downright exhausted.

Myka walked to where Helena had instructed her and found a lighter, she flicked the little ball and a bright flame appeared, enough to guide her to the first candle. “Okay, now let’s see where the rest are.” Myka’s voice was starting to shake too, but she managed to find the rest of the candles.

The bathroom was significantly smaller than the kitchen and so there weren’t as many candles sitting around, there were exactly five candles, six with the one Myka had just left on the side of the sink, that were now all lit and bathed the small room in a warm, gentle glow.

Helena swayed as she tried to step into the shower but Myka caught her quickly between her arms and steadied her, held her close to her, and whispered softly in her ear.

“Hey, hey. Helena, we need to get you warm, can you move your legs for me?” – Myka asked without letting go of the other woman even for a second and she felt Helena nod.

Guiding Helena under the showerhead, Myka opened the tab and warm water descended on them. It was a strange feeling, to be under the shower while fully dressed but for now, it would have to do, she needed to gradually get Helena warm or she would harm her more than help her.

For a while, they just stood there, Myka holding Helena under the warm water as she regulated its temperature, speaking softly into Helena’s wet hair to make sure she was still awake. Minutes passed and the clothes on them felt even heavier, Myka noticed the way Helena had stopped shivering and her breathing had gone back to normal.

"Helena, can you lift your hands for me, please?" - Myka asked gently, she had seen the efforts Helena had put into rowing the boat earlier and she already knew that the woman hadn't had a decent sleep in a while.

Now Helena only nodded with her head, she was still clinging with her hands to Myka’s waist and the selfish part of her didn’t want to let go, ever. But she also knew that the hot water would run out eventually so she had to move.

Lifting her arms slowly, Myka pulled the soaked material over her head and was treated to a view she had only fantasized about until now. Helena was standing in front of her with only a bra and a pair of pants clinging to her legs. Despite the fact that there was no electricity, Myka was sure she could count the freckles on Helena's chest with only the simmering glow of the candles around them.

"Okay, now I'm going to need you to put your hands against the wall and lift your legs one at a time." - Myka said as she tugged on Helena's pants, undoing the top button and pulling down the zipper. God, her mind wasn't supposed to be imagining this exact action in other circumstances, she had to focus on helping her friend now but the barely auditable gasp that escaped Helena’s lips made goosebumps erupt on Myka's skin and the cold had nothing to do with it.

Getting rid of the pants was a bit more challenging than the sweater, the material seemed to be quite uncooperative and she ended up fumbling a couple of times, struggling to keep her balance.

Now she had Helena Wells standing in the shower with her with only her underwear on and Myka felt her cheeks burning. She was blushing as if she had never seen another woman almost naked before as if going to the beach where some women even went topless was any different. "But this is Helena, not just a random person. You've wanted to see her like that since the moment you crossed paths with her in the coach's office on the Boiling Point case." Her mind kept screaming at her, she wanted so badly to stretch her hand and slip the straps of Helena’s lacy black bra past her shoulders, to sneak her arm around Helena and unclasp the final barrier between their bodies but a small chuckle made her pay attention to the woman in front of her once more.

"Not that I have anything against you standing there and blushing but you should get out of these clothes too, Myka. There won't be enough water for you to get warm if you keep dawdling." Helena said lightly, bringing Myka back to the present moment.

Between the lit candles around them, the hot water, the abundance of steam, and Helena’s hungry eyes, Myka’s mind was barely functional now and she could feel how tired her own body was, being weighted down by the wet clothes on her back as well. So Myka took a step back, as much as the shower cabin permitted it and slipped out of her clothes, losing her equilibrium while she struggled with her trousers too. Lucky for her, Helena returned the favor from earlier and pulled her to her, steading her in the process but now bringing their bodies flush to each other. Their faces mere inches away from one another, Helena’s dilated pupils traveling from her eyes to her lips. The moment stretched forever.

"The water is getting cold." - Myka broke the silence between them.

"Stay here, I'll go grab us some dry clothes. " - She said, Helena was good enough to stand on her own now and Myka quickly slipped through the cabin door, taking the spare towel hanging near the door and undoing her bra. She rapidly discarded it on the floor and shimmied out of her panties as well, she was never getting caught under the pouring rain again.

When Myka returned to the steamy, hot bathroom, she had already put on her warm pajamas and held a spare pair for Helena who in turn had already gotten out of the shower, hanged their clothes to dry (including their underwear), and was standing there wrapped in a towel.

"Thank you, Myka. I appreciate your help tonight." - Helena said sincerely as she took the clothes from the other woman.

"It was because of me that we got caught under the rain in the first place." - Myka began saying but she saw Helena putting on her pajama pants and being the polite (and flustered) woman that she was Myka turned around to give her some privacy. True, a couple of minutes ago her almost naked body was pressed tightly against Helena’s but now she felt like she was crossing a line.

Helena didn’t expect that reaction and she couldn’t help it when her eyebrow arched intrigued.

"All done." Helena said as she walked toward Myka and the door of the bathroom and added "You made the right call tonight, without Thea's collaboration we would still be wondering what the artifact was."

"Time to get some sleep, tomorrow we'll search for the necklace." - Helena opened the door and felt the chilly air of her bedroom wash over her.

"Right, goodnight, Helena." - Myka said as she was ready to descend the spiral stairs to her own bed.

"Would you like to sleep here tonight?" - The words escaped Helena’s mouth before she realized she had said them out loud and added half-embarrassed - "The hot shower did us good but it wouldn't serve for much if we end up getting cold again without the heating system. And, it certainly beats sleeping curled on the sofa." Helena’s masochistic side couldn't get enough from Myka’s intoxicating closeness.

Myka had a choice to make, an important decision between declining the offer and prove that whatever curiosity she had been feeling for Helena was just a juvenile infatuation (Myka already tried that one and ended up dating Pete so perhaps it was best to avoid old mistakes) or accept Helena’s offer and open a door to all the new and exciting possibilities Helena’s company always brought her.

Myka’s feet carried her to Helena’s bed even before the other woman had finished talking and heard a soft, relieved exhale follow as Helena settled under the covers as well. They were both facing each other now but there was still some distance left between their bodies and soon enough the exhaustion lulled them to sleep.

The next morning, they woke up with arms wrapped around each other. Helena marveled at the sensation, the warmth that embraced her, the way her curves accommodated Myka’s hands… then the pleasant sleepy haze disappeared when she thought about the quickly approaching day where she’d have to say goodbye to Myka again. Helena extricated herself from Myka’s hug, moving like a panther, and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead. What Helena didn't realize was Myka's fluttering eyelids and the fast beating of her heart betrayed the agent’s wakefulness, she was never a very good liar.

The buzzing of Myka’s Farnsworth made her open her eyes and reach for it.

“Myka! Hey, any news?” – Claudia’s voice sounded like she had drunk one too many energy drinks.

“We found out what the artifact is. Turns out the story from the paper you saw about Elizabeth Kelly was true. Oh, and Claud, mermaids exist!” – Myka said still excited as she remembered last night’s events.

“Wait, you talked to a real mermaid? Are you kidding me now?” – Claudia almost yelled but then she remembered that the rest didn’t know about the details of this mission so she lowered her voice, now almost whispering.

“You have to tell me all about it! Wait… is that H.G’s top that you’re wearing?” – The redhead moved her face even closer to the lens as if that would somehow help her identify it better.

“Umm… no. No, you’ve seen me wear this a million times.” – Myka tied to laugh but the blush in her cheeks got stronger. She had grabbed the first thing that looked like it wouldn’t let them freeze in their sleep, she hadn’t even thought of going down the stairs to get clothes from her suitcase. When Helena lived across the hall from her, they’d often spend the nights talking or watching movies and if one of them was cold they’d just grab something of the other, there was no point in asking every time.

It had been only a couple of days that Myka and Helena saw each other again after more than a year of no contact but they seemed to have fallen quickly into their old habits, they liked their old habits even if neither dared to approach the subject yet.

“Claud, I have to go, we really need to find that necklace and bag it before it can cause any more damage.” – Myka said, half telling the truth, half trying to get out from this conversation because of the look that the redhead was giving her was definitely not one that said she believed her flimsy attempt to explain the top she was wearing.

“You’re running out of time, aren’t you? I can see you worried, you never look that worried.” – Claudia’s voice was small now, she didn’t tell her about the intense storms that had flooded the east aisles of the warehouse, it really wasn’t as bad or as world ending as Artie made it sound. Myka had other stuff to deal with now.

“We found out that the blue moon is what gives the artifact its power, it is literally a beacon of friendship, or was at the beginning at least. Elizabeth and Thea became friends and the necklace that she gave her was so that she could always find her, no matter where she’d go. Over the years, however, its influence grew and it began attracting more dangerous creatures to shore. All the disappearances are happening on a blue moon, the bad weather is just a side effect, though Thea says the ocean is angry at the people for the global warming.” – Myka explained and heard the door of the bathroom opening and a smiling Helena striding out of it.

“Hello, Claudia darling!” – Helena greeted the young woman, and Claudia forgot everything about the mermaid and the bad weather.

“H.G! Myka said you know where the artifact is.”

“We did and speaking of which… we really should get going, getting drenched from the rain last night was more than enough for me and these clouds look unpleasantly dark again.” Helena said and saw Myka nod beside her, the grey sky above them was turning black over the horizon, thankfully though the dark clouds were moving slowly since there was no wind at all today.

“We’ll let you know when we find it and neutralize it.” – Myka said and waved at Claudia before she closed the Farnsworth and went to get ready to dig.

\------

Myka’s hands were holding the shovel so tightly that she started feeling the burn in her muscles and the skin on her hands, the temperatures were getting so low that the earth was almost completely frozen making it twice as hard for them to dig. She and Helena had been shoving dirt all morning and they still hadn’t found anything. No suspiciously looking box, no necklace enveloped in an old, almost disintegrated scarf, not even a single pearl to show them that they were on the right path.

“She said _under_ the willow tree, right?” – Myka asked, lifting yet another shovel filled with earth, they had dug a hole trying to avoid touching the roots of the tree.

“Maybe we’re digging on the wrong side.” – Helena huffed as she shoved the end of her shovel hard in the ground and pushed a stray hair away from her eyes, somehow while they had been digging and removing stones, Helena had managed to get some specks of frozen dirt on her right cheekbone that melted as Helena’s cheeks heated and Myka laughed.

“You, um, have something on…” – She gestured to Helena’s cheek but the other woman only brushed a small part of the dirt off and looked at Myka with a clear question in her eyes.

“Not quite. Here.” – Myka stepped closer to her and brushed away the dirt with her own thumb, Helena’s skin was soft and slightly flushed, the sort of shy redness that had nothing to do with the shoveling.

“Come on, we deserve a break.” – Myka said and let her shovel fall to the ground, we can resume later and before Helena could protest, she added “Getting exhausted won’t help us find the necklace faster. A cup of tea will do us good.”

A thought passed through Myka’s mind, she and Helena had already cheated death once, would they be lucky enough to do it twice?

After they finished their tea, they went back to the willow tree and continued removing the earth from the other side of it as well. No patch of grass was left undisturbed, no stone was left unturned and there was still no sign of the necklace ever being there. Helena and Myka only stopped as they felt small raindrops starting to hit their skin again, there was no sense in continuing, there was nothing there.

“Is it possible that Thea lied to us?” – Myka asked as they climbed the stairs up to the bathroom in Helena’s bedroom.

Helena shook her head. “I doubt it, she’s a Nereid. Everything I’ve read so far says that they are quite amicable toward humans.”

“Then maybe Beatrice moved it.” – Myka’s brain was running out of ideas and her stomach grumbled, they had been so caught up with digging that the only thing they ate all day were just a couple of Twizzlers for Myka and some caramelized almonds for Helena. She loved eating them, they’d been her favorite snack ever since she was a kid, and couldn’t comprehend how Myka could love the twisted, red gummy sticks so much.

“Come on, I’m making pancakes tonight. If we’re getting kidnapped by sea monsters tomorrow night, we can skip a few dinner norms.” – Myka said with a coy smile, she knew Helena loved pancakes.

After dinner, Myka and Helena went up to the gallery again, the view was quite mesmerizing and the silence of the night felt like a blanket around the lighthouse, the sea was tranquil, there was no fog, only some light rain, nothing like the downpour from yesterday.

Myka sat down on the cushions and Helena joined her, it was nice to just sit together in silence for a little bit, she missed Helena’s company and she still wanted to tell her so many things but had no idea where to begin.

The night was chilly and the salty air made the skin on their fingers and faces feel sticky but it felt good to enjoy the weather with no wind, the light spreading from the inside of the lantern pane above them dispersed into the darkness and it provided faint glow for them, just enough to see each other’s forms and features as if it was a full moon night.

"So, how did you end up courting Peter?" - Helena asked, her voice sounded strained but the masochistic side of her wanted to know and she couldn’t keep her curiosity at bay anymore and Myka was glad that she was the first one of the pair that finally had the courage to break the silence. Helena needed Myka to tell her and hope that her miserably stubborn heart will accept, once and for all, that she had lost the only human she ever loved that much to another.

"It wasn't anything romantic like in the old books, there weren't any "sparks" between us, not even that time at the beginning of our days as Warehouse agents where we bronzed Steve and I was blonde for a day." - Myka chuckled at the memory, she wished she could use Helena's time machine and redo so many stuff.

"I... I had a health scare of sorts, not long after we came back from Boone. I thought I had cancer, the doctors weren't sure and had to run more tests but my mind had already accepted the worst." - Myka said and saw how Helena's eyes went from amused at picturing Myka blonde to worried, to filled with tears in a matter of seconds.

"Myka, I had no idea... I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I…" - Helena reached for her hand and squeezed it between both of hers.

"It's okay, I didn't want to tell anyone. Pete found out by accident and you know he can't keep his mouth shut, so eventually, the whole team found out." - Myka spoke and didn't notice how her other hand had wrapped around Helena's own.

"I'm okay, the second round of tests came back negative but I wasn't in the best emotional state. I wanted to call you and ask you to come back, to take me down to the lake and read to me or watch the stars together again but I knew I had no right to make you come back to a life that you clearly didn't want. And Pete was there, he stayed by my side the whole time and helped me carry the burden of uncertainty until one day he just asked me out and I didn't know what to say at first. I always saw him as a brother but then one night I heard Claudia saying you had started dating a woman named Giselle and then I thought that I could learn how to see Pete as something more with time and said yes to our date. Figured I had to try and continue with my life if I was only going to get that much of it." - Myka spoke but Helena couldn't take it anymore and interrupted her by putting her hand on Myka's cheek and guiding her head until their eyes met.

"Myka, I would even go back in the bronzer for you, if I had known about your health declining, you wouldn't have had to ask me to come back, I'd have run back to South Dakota without even thinking twice about it." - Helena's eyes were still heavy with unshed tears that threatened to overspill from her eyes at any second.

"The thing is, dearest Myka, that I used to think that the Warehouse was my tether to this world and it took me a while to realize how insanely stupid that was. It was always you, Myka. You have always been my tether to this world, you are the person that knows me best and the person I cannot imagine this world without." - Now Helena's tears had started falling.

"I should've told you sooner, I know you're with Peter now and if he makes you happy, that's all I can ask for but please Myka never doubt how special you are to me." - Helena spoke and noticed how their faces were just millimeters apart now. She could hear the small gasp that escaped Myka's lips and she had never wanted to kiss someone more than in that very moment... but Myka's heart was already taken so Helena quickly chastised herself and pulled away, leaving Myka looking at her confused.

"Wait, you think I'm still going out with Pete?" - Myka asked, unable to hide the laugh in her voice.

"Aren't you?" - Helena asked in a small voice, almost too afraid to dare to hope.

"Helena, Pete, and I went out on a couple of dates but I couldn't even bring myself to kiss him! Why do you think Abigail has joined the team?" - Myka asked but she could see the confusion written on Helena's face.

"Who is Abigail?" – Helena asked in surprise, it was clear that this was the first time she heard that name.

"The psychologist that is making sure Pete and I don't fight like cat and dog all the time. Turns out Pete had been having feelings for me for a while but I didn't know and when I told him that it was just too weird for me to be in a relationship with him, we couldn't even be in the same room together much less be partners on a mission." - Myka laughed but that were her nerves coming out in the only way that they could at the moment.

"So, you are not in love with Peter?" - Helena asked this time her voice filled with joy.

"No, Helena. I'm not in love with Pete." - Myka said resolute. Mrs. Fredricks’ words flashed in her mind “ _Go with your heart.”_ and that’s what Myka did, even though she suspected the other woman felt the same she still felt shy and awkward as she took a deep breath and spoke her next words.

"I think, I've been in love with you essentially from the moment I saw you in the Atlas house, I just didn't know it, didn’t know that I wanted to be your tether to this world until I saw you playing house in Boone...” - Myka admitted and saw Helena's eyes widen.

“…God how did we do this so wrong?" – Myka forced a small laugh at the irony of the moment.

"You are full of surprises, Myka Bering." - She managed to say as she closed the distance between them. Finally capturing Myka's lips with her own.

Having Helena’s lips on her own at last was like giving a parched person a single drop of water, Myka wanted more, she needed more. She could feel Helena’s moves growing bolder and she didn’t care that they were sitting on the couch - like piece of furniture outside, she felt her skin burning with the way Helena was pressing against her.

Myka pulled Helena by the hand and the older woman climbed on top of her, straddling her with both legs on either side of Myka. Their mouths met again and when Myka nibbled at Helena’s lower lip, she let out the most delectable moan, it made Myka want to hear it time and time again so just when Helena tilted her head up, the curly agent trailed her kisses down Helena’s jaw, past her neck and suddenly something cold and metal met her lips. Myka moved back, breaking the moment and seeing the simple silver chain around Helena’s neck, moving her gaze down to the necklace she could recognize everywhere. Myka searched for Helena’s eyes again, her rich brown orbs had turned into almost black wells of desire and want, her mind clouded with lust. Myka could feel the heat emanating from Helena’s body and when she saw the other woman looking at her lips, she pulled her closer again and captured her lips.

They stayed like that for a while, maybe a moment, maybe an entire hour passed but the next thing Myka knew was Helena shifting to get off and offering her a hand. It was an invitation, one that Myka found it impossible to resist or decline, nor did she want to. Taking her hand and letting Helena guide her back inside resulted in a lot of kissing and barely watching where they stepped, which resulted in knocking several books, unlit candles, and opened journals to the floor. Helena pushed Myka against the wall and let her finger tease the hem of her shirt, Myka could feel the hardened digits from today’s shoveling trail on her skin and when Helena started undoing Myka’s belt, Myka’s hands flew to hers trying to undo the clasp faster. Helena took her by the wrists and moved them above their heads, dragging them slowly up against the wall, and neither of them paid any attention to the framed painting that crashed on the floor beside them.

A rumble of loud thunder echoed in the room and broke them out of their haze. “As alluring as you look right now, dearest Myka, I don’t want to just have you against the wall. So…would you let me take you to bed?” Helena asked with such tenderness as she offered her hand, her eyes were holding the lustful spark in them at bay as she expected Myka’s answer with bated breath.

“Take me to bed, Helena.” – Myka nodded with a shy smile, her voice was raspy and it made a shiver run through Helena. She had fantasized of hearing these words more times than any human being could actually count to and yet she had never imagined feeling them in her soul as they left Myka’s lips. A happy smile appeared on the shorter woman’s face and she tugged at Myka’s hand, leading them slowly down the stairs.

Just as they made it safely to the border of Helena’s bed, Myka began to greedily pull Helena’s clothes off of her body and pulling her closer at the same time, it resulted in some more fumbling and tumbling around but ultimately, she managed to get them down to their underwear.

Another raucous thunder sounded outside and a bright flash split the sky in two, Helena pulled Myka to her once more, reclaiming her lips with urgency. Loud moans and gasps filled the bedroom but the splashing of the raindrops outside, sloshing against the windows of the lighthouse drowned all noises Myka and Helena made and as the rain transformed in snow, their connection to reality got more and more smeared away.

\--------------

“You were right.” – Helena said sleepily as she felt Myka’s fingers trace circles on the side of her abdomen.

Last night had seemed so good that had it not been for a very naked Myka next to her and the pleasant ache all over her body, Helena wouldn’t have believed it had happened at all. It took her a little over a hundred and fifty years of life to find the love she craved and go after her, lying here now, between Myka’s arms she could almost forget about everything else. The fog that had persisted through the night shielded them from the world around them.

“We should’ve tried this much sooner.” – Helena murmured and felt Myka chuckle as long fingers lifted her chin, angling her lips up just enough so they could connect with the ones of the woman lying under her.

It took them more than a couple of minutes to get dressed and ready to search for the necklace again, between Myka that seemed like a lovesick teenager, trying to sneak in kisses to Helena’s lips, cheek even neck whenever she could and Helena melting with each touch, getting out of bed proved to be a rather difficult task. But today was the peak of the blue moon and they could feel something watching them from the gloomy exterior, there were no seagulls squeaking this morning either, even the waves in the sea were suspiciously quiet at the moment.

\----------------

“We made quite the mess last night.” – Myka said as she started picking up the journals and candles in the office that had fallen on the floor. Turns out the movies don’t show that part, the clean-up after the night spent reaching the highest peaks of pleasure but seeing Helena blush as she remembered the reason for the disarray made it more than worth it.

Picking up a tome about the local folklore from the wooden tiles beneath their feet, Helena’s eyes widened in surprise and a sudden rush of excitement ran through her as she looked at the hole on the floor.

“Myka… you should see this.” – Helena gasped as she squatted down. One of the floorboards had broken as the hefty frame of the painting landed on it.

“There’s something underneath.” – Myka crouched down as well and helped Helena to pull off the adjacent boards.

Indeed. A small box was laying under the wooden panels, it had a thick coat of dust on its lid but when Helena held it in her hands and brushed her thumb over it, revealing the picture underneath.

“I’m pretty sure we just found our artifact.” – Myka said with a satisfied grin spreading on her face as Helena shook the box and something inside rattled.

“And we’ve already seen something exactly like this.” – Helena matched her grin and stood up.

The picture on the top of the box was identical to the mermaid painting in Helena’s bedroom, but this one was divided into squares and they were all mixed up.

“Thea was right, it was under the willow tree after all.” – Myka said as she looked at the broken frame on the floor, it was the one that held the willow painting.

“And the clues were right in front of our eyes the whole time! B.K of course it would stand for Beatrice Kelly, Lorna’s mother was the one that had painted all the paintings in the lighthouse…” – Helena shook her head from side to side, she had completely overlooked this detail.

“I suppose it’s time to solve the puzzle and save the day, again right?” – The American chuckled as she remembered Helena’s words from that time in the Honk Kong sanctum. That’s essentially what their job was.

“How fortunate that we’re so good at it then.” – Helena teased her back and felt Myka’s hands on her lapels, pulling her closer for what was supposed to be a quick kiss, but instead ended up being anything but.

Myka took a step back as quickly as she had leaned in for the kiss, promising Helena plenty more of those after they bagged the artifact and gave it to Thea.

It started as faint as a distant echo, the sound carried over the snowy cliffs, spreading slowly but steadily through the land and getting significantly louder and louder.

“Myka, do you hear that?” – Helena asked as her mind registered the alluring melody.

“A Violin?” – Myka scrunched her face, it wasn’t possible to hear the melody that clearly with closed windows and snow all around them, usually it absorbed all the sounds, that was one of the reasons why Myka loved wintertime.

“How is that possible?” – The older woman was perplexed but then she remembered what the legends about Kiltyre‘s beaches said.

“Myka, cover your ears, quick!” – Helena yelled and covered her own ears, leaving the wooden box on the desk among the many papers in disarray. The melody was bewitching, literally hypnotizing them with the enticing pattern it had and a light moderato tempo.

The music kept playing for a long while, it reminded Helena of the countless Paganini overtures she had listened back in the days, it was teasing, tantalizing and seductive, luring them to open the doors and rush into the cold waters to hear more and more of it.

Thankfully with Helena’s quick thinking and their ears covered, the melody didn’t affect them but they couldn’t really do anything without letting go and succumbing to the music’s whims. After several hours Myka could see Helena’s hands beginning to shake slightly, her eyes were still glued to the box on the table.

As if on cue, just as the day was starting to fade, the music suddenly disappeared and nothing but silence filled the air again. Myka began lowering her hands slowly, careful and just enough to check if the melody had truly faded away, in spite of Helena’s protests.

Helena began lowering her hands as well and when they discovered that the melody was no longer playing, she rushed to grab the box again, tugging at the top right corner until the tile that was there popped out and left her enough space to move the others.

The moon shined over the horizon and something grabbed Myka’s attention while Helena was moving the tiles of the box, her fingers working on ordering them correctly.

“Helena, please tell me you’re hearing this too?” – Myka asked but Helena looked at her wondering.

“Hear what? Is it the violin again?” – She asked worried.

“No, listen.” – Myka said and rushed toward the door that opened to the gallery.

“ _Help! Help!”_

Now, Helena could hear the faint cries again, the snow still falling around them and the cloud like atmosphere around them made it impossible to see anything past the willow tree.

“ _Please! Somebody, help!”_ – The voice sounded again, it resembled a woman, desperate and afraid.

“Someone’s out there! We have to help them.” – Myka said and moved quickly toward the stairs.

Helena quickly grabbed her before she could run down them “No, Myka wait! Look!”

Helena brought her back to the balcony and they could still hear the horrified pleas for help coming from the unknown vastness around them.

“Helena, someone’s in trouble, we don’t have time to…”

“Shh. Trust me.” – Helena said and held Myka between her and the handrail.

A couple more seconds passed, though to Myka it felt like hours as the shouts were still coming from the direction of the sea but then they suddenly stopped, just like the violin melody before that.

“It’s all just a trick, Myka. There’s nobody out there.” – Helena said quietly near Myka’s ear and felt the other woman nod after a moment.

“But there is some _thing_.” – Myka pointed to the snow below them.

Coming from the edge of the cliffs and walking toward them, footsteps appeared in the snow. At first only one trail, then another joined, and another, and another… dividing into two groups at the willow tree. Most of the footsteps continued to the other side, heading right toward Kiltyre itself but a smaller group began making their way to the lighthouse.

Helena and Myka could hear the squeak each time a footstep appeared and the eerie whispering but they couldn’t see anything.

“Helena, hurry, you need to open that box.” – Myka said urgently as they moved inside the room again. She could see Helena’s hands trembling and her irregular breathing pattern, Helena was having a flashback and Myka didn’t need to hear Helena say the words, she knew that look on her face. Helena thought of the time when the taller woman was held hostage at that damned chess board lock.

Myka left everything and closed the distance between them, making Helena move her gaze from the puzzle to her.

“We’re not dying today, ok?” – Myka’s voice was steady and her hands held gently Helena’s face.

That was all Helena needed, the familiar words, Myka’s sincere gaze on her, something to ground her and push the worries in her mind back, Myka believed in her. Helena’s heartbeat slowed down to normal and her fingers stopped shaking, they weren’t dying today.

“What are these creatures? And why can’t we see them?” – Myka asked as she opened the neutralizing bag, ready to throw the necklace in it the second Helena solved the puzzle.

“I don’t know, Myka. I don’t remember reading anything about invisible beings.” – Helena spoke as her fingers kept moving the tiles around. She had the entire mermaid figure done with putting together the moon was trickier than it seemed.

A loud crash came from downstairs and both agents looked at each other surprised and scared.

“At least we know they can’t travel through walls.” – Helena said and saw Myka run to the door of the room.

“The good news is we’re almost at the top floor, so you have an extra couple of seconds to open that thing.” – Myka said as she looked around, the bookshelves were built in the walls and they couldn’t be moved, Myka could hear thumping footsteps approaching and she instinctively pushed her shoulders against the wooden door and angled her feet sturdy on the ground.

The footsteps came closer and closer until they stood directly on the other side of the door and everything went quiet. A moment passed and Myka took in a shaky breath.

***THUMP***

A loud thud from the other side of the door pushed against it, Myka’s shoulder feeling the immense force from the other side. Several more pushes followed and the hinges started rattling.

“Helena!” – Myka yelled as she felt a sudden sharp push from the other side of the door.

“I’m almost done!” – Helena said as her hands trembled around the edges of the box.

Another hit echoed on the wood and Myka tried to push harder against it, water began creeping under the small opening beneath the door.

“Helena, I can’t hold them off much longer!” – Myka yelled again and amidst all the chaos the picture of the mermaid with an emerald tail under a blue moon was complete and a soft click echoed in the room. Helena opened the box quicker than a bolt of lightning could strike but the neutralizing bag was still in Myka’s jacket pocket.

“Myka, catch!” – Helena threw the necklace at her, there was no time to run to her.

Fortunately for them, Myka’s hand closed around the pearls perfectly. For a single moment, Myka marveled at the artifact in her hand. The black and gold pearls looked exactly like the ones Thea had in her hair, Myka could feel the pull they had but another push against the door brought her out of her musings.

Just as the corner of the wooden door shattered into million tiny splinters, making them fly all over Myka, she dropped the necklace from her hand into the neutralizing bag and the bright sparks that flew from the inside made Myka drop the bag to the ground. The thud of the pearls on the ground went unregistered, outshined by the bright flashes of light coming out of it, making both women in the room close their eyes.

Silence, there was nothing but silence once more and the erratic heartbeat of Myka’s own heart. She couldn’t feel anything extraordinary around her, no sharp pains on her body or troubles breathing… at least she was still alive and the image of Helena appeared on her mind.

Myka opened her eyes and looked around, there was nobody in the room except from Helena who was sitting on her knees, keeping her hands over her eyes. Myka rushed to her, scared to see her stand so still but her heart remembered how to beat again when she saw Helena opening her eyes.

Without uttering a single word, Myka pulled Helena toward her and hugged her as if her life depended on it. It was over. They had saved the world again but most importantly; they had managed to save each other in the process as well.

\-------

Myka and Helena walked silently on the pebbled beach covered in a thin blanket of snow, the Brit was holding the bag with the _curiosity_ in her right arm, no more sparks were coming out of it. The weather outside had quieted down as well, the sea was calmer, the clouds had cleared on the footsteps in the snow around them disappeared completely. Neither of them had any idea what had left them in the first place but they preferred not to know. What they did know was that the bag wouldn’t stop the necklace from reactivating soon again but for now, at least it was tamed, in truth, not even the Warehouse could neutralize this artifact.

“I really hate cold water.” – Helena complained as they kept walking further into the sea until the water covered them halfway.

“Don’t worry, I already know how to warm you up later.” – Myka teased her and Helena was just about to answer as they saw Thea’s form swim from the rocks to where they were standing now.

“For a moment there, I doubted that you’ll make it.” – Thea said as she took the bag with the necklace inside it.

“For a moment, we weren’t so sure ourselves.” – Helena admitted as she intertwined her fingers with Myka’s beneath the water.

“If the bag has its effects neutralized, why are you giving it back to me then?” – Thea asked and tilted her head, looking curiously at them. She knew humans, they cherished pearls, gold, and shiny stones for some reason. Even though it was all trinkets to Thea and her kind, she knew how desperate the humans could get for them but the seabed was riddled with sunken ships carrying loads that were of no interest to the creatures living there.

“This necklace is too dangerous for any human to have, the only place where it would be kept safe is returning it back to where it came from.” – Myka said and added with a more friendly voice. “Besides, it’s something special for you, it won’t soothe the ache of missing your human family but it will help you keep the happy memories alive.”

In the corner of her eye, Myka saw Helena touching her own necklace as she heard her words.

“Thank you. My friendship with Lizzie was quite unusual and I still miss her, I’ll miss all of them. Take care of yourselves and maybe that’s not the last time our paths will cross.” – Thea said and gave both women a small smile before she turned and sailed away, her emerald tail swimming into the darkness of the sea.

“What now?” – Helena asked Myka as they walked back to the shore. Her voice was shy and part of her was afraid Myka would disappear from her life again but she could feel the other woman stopping them once they were out of the freezing water.

“Now you let me take you back to the lighthouse and celebrate the world not ending.” – Myka said and pulled Helena for a kiss, the blue moon bathing them with its ethereal shine.

“I cannot, I will not walk away from this, us, again, Helena.” – Myka turned serious and admitted between kisses, and felt Helena smile against her.

“Wells and Bering for the long run then?” – Helena asked and Myka laughed, she still found it funny when Helena would use such modern expressions.

“You know very well it’s always been Bering and Wells, darling.” – The taller woman said and saw Helena arch her eyebrow playfully before she kissed her again.

They were finally together and Myka was sure that if she had to choose between the Warehouse and Helena, she’d never let go of the woman in her arms. There was no bigger wonder than being with Helena George Wells and suddenly Myka felt how the pieces of her life finally clicked together. She was right where she was supposed to be, at the precise moment and with the exact person she was supposed to be with… her biggest adventure was yet to begin...


End file.
